Process of shrinking, etc., felt articles



April 14, 1925,

H. A. GENEST PRocEss oF SHRINKING, ETC.,

|y Fig, 2 ITI/ QZ FELT ARTICLES 3 Shets-Sheet J Filed June 9', 1923 Ely 3 I HJM Innen/072' Hom raf-CZ @en/e511 y .Eig 12 April 14, 1925.

H. -A. GENEST PROCESS OF SHRINKING, ETC.

FELT ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 9, 1925 Eig 15 I flieg April 14, 1925.

1,533,351 H. A. GENEST PROCESS 0F SHRINKNG. ETC., FELT ARTICLES Filed June 9, 1923 3 SheeAtS-SheeiI 3 lnvemor:

l ,argzey Patented Apr. 14, 1925 HOHER A. GENEST, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR MACHINERY CORPORATION, F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION TO UNITED STATES HAT OF VIRGINIA.

PnocEss or smuNxrNG, nrc., rm AnTIULEs. Application 'mea June 9, 192s. serial 1ro. 644,331.

1s invention relates to the shrinking of F l0 felt articles, for example bats from which fur or felt hats are made. According the usual method Then a number of bats, usually six, are placed one upon the other and rolled up in a blanket, and the .rolled blanket and hen manipulated so as to shrink and felt the fur, and during this manipulation, the blanket and the bats containedv therein are maintained in an extremely wet or saturated condition with hot water. The manipulation is carried out by rolling the blanket and bats back and forth by hand at varying pres- This manual manipulation of the bats requires the utmost skill by very experienced operators. It is necessary to repeatedly roll up the bats in the blanket, manipulate the assembly, then unroll the blanket, change the relative positions f the the libres and makes the bats uneven in thickness.` Furthermore, it is necessary for vthe operator, after each manipulating step,

for, otherwise, the felt, lo along the lines of fold, would be shrunk and Y and kneading operation, it will 'health of the laborer.

surface of the bats an wipe or flood oif this loose felt for otherwise, during the rolling form da's which, if later removed, will leave un esirable spots in the duced therefrom. for the operator to counteract the tendency for the tip of the hat to point, that is to lose its rounded contour and come to a sharp No matter how tareful and may be, the bats which going to be uniform, making it necessary to grade the bats and, in many instances, to scrap some of them. From the foregoing remarks, it will be seen that this old practice of felting is a very tedious and relatively slow one and, owing to the relatively slow speed with which the manipulation of the bats must be carried out, the requirement that skilled and experienced operators be employed, and the nonuniformity of the bats and the necessity of scrappin some of them, the felting of the bats by tis old pra tice is expensive. Furthermore, this old practice is injurious to the health of the operator.

The aim provide an improved process or method of y proceeding in accordance with my improved method, bats ma be very speedily and uniformly felted and shrunk without employing highly skilled labor and without adversely affecting the I have found that by following my method, the bats are automatically crozed, dags and rods are eliminated, and the desired shape of the bat is uniformly obtained; a cheaper furV may be used and as good or better hat produced than when a bat of better fur is manually shrunk; and the number of bats which may be shrunk and felted by an operator is increased many times, all of which means that I provide a method which is very economical and which produces superior and umform articles.

In my accompanying application, filed under even date herewith and-bearing Serial No. 644,360, I have described, illustrated and claimed a bat shrinking apparatus which is peculiarly adapted for use in carrying out the herein described method. While the method herein described and claimed is not limited to that machine, I have, for illustrative purposes, shown that machine in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings, Figures 1 to 14 are more or less diagrammatic, showing the manner in which the bats are placed in successively different angular positions upon a travelling belt, and the condition of the ba'ts before and after they have been carried, 1n these respective angular positions, beneath `certain pressure rollers which are hereinafter described more in detail.

Figure 1 shows the bat on the belt directed tip lirst toward the pressure roller; Fig'. 2 1s a sectional view of the bat taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows the bat after it has passed beneath the pressure roller;

Fig. 4 shows the bat of Fig. 3 on its next passage through the m'achine turned at an angle of 90 so that one corner of the bat is directed towards the pressure roller;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the bat taken on line 5-5 of Fig 4;

Fig. 6 shows the bat of Fig. 4 after passed beneath the pressure roller;

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are similar to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, except that the bat has been inverted so that the other corner of the bat is first acted upon by the pressure roller;

Figs. 10 and 11 are similar to Figs. 1 and 3, respectively, except that the brim edge of the bat is directed towards the pressure roller;

Fig. 1()a shows the manner in which the tip of the bat is puffed while passing brim irst beneath a pressure roller;

Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are similar to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, except that the bat is so positioned on the belt that the bat is crozed or shifted about point lying in or near the tip or top of the Fig. 15 is a top plan machine as is necessary it has to illustrate the manner in which my improved method is car-l ried out;

Fig. 16 is a side view of what is shown in Fig. 15;

view of so much of theA Fig. 18 is a plan view of belt and the bats illustrated in Fig. 19; and

Fig.v 19 is somewhat similar to Fig. 17.,d

The machine, which is shown in the drawings more o-r less diagrammatically and by way of exemplification, m'ay be briefly described as follows. 10 designates a bat supporting member in the form of an endless travelling belt passing around suitable drums 11, either or both of which are preferably driven in any approved manner. The working face of thebelt, by preference, is provided with a multiplicity of kneading knuckles, and, to this end, the belt may be made of rubber having on its surface small pyramids or projections. The working or upper run of the belt is caused to take a wavy or zig-zag course by guide rolls arranged in staggered relation. The guide rolls which support the belt are designated by the numeral 13. The intervening rolls, which cause depressions in the belt and thereby make is take a wavy course, may be referred to as defiecting rolls and are designated by the numeral 14. Preferably, all of the guide rolls are driven. Engaging the working face of the belt are pressure members or rollers 15 which, in the present instance, are spring pressed against the belt, although it is obviousfthat they may be l weighted or otherwise arranged so as to produce the desired pressure on the bats as they are carried beneath these rollers by the belt. In the present illustrative disclosure, two such pressure rollers are located between adjacent deiiecting rolls, and cooperate with the supporting roll which is positioned between those adjacent delecting rolls in that they squeeze or press the belt and, the bats carried thereby against that supporting roll. The opposite ends of the pressure rollers may be journalled in the horizontally extending arms of angle levers 16 which may be journalledon the gudgeons 17 of the delecting rolls. The vertical arms of angle levers may be connected in pairs by springs 18. The bats, as they7 are carried by the belt through the machine, are maintained in a thoroughly saturated state by a How of hot water which may be discharged onto the bats and the belt in any suitable manner, as from a pipe or pipes 20. ent instance, frictional engagement with the belt and the bats carried thereby. The drums and the guide rolls may be driven in any suitable manner, as by means of the gearing designated, generally. b v the numeral 21 of Fig. 15. The belt travels in the direction of the arrow 22 of Figs. 15 and 16. It will be noted that the supporting rolls and intervening The pressure rollers in the presv are not driven except by their carries defiecting rolls are so spaced apart that the belt and the bats carried thereon are not pinched or squeezed between the deflectin rolls and guide rolls, this arrangement being of advantage in that the required depthv of wave in the belt may be obtained; the resiliency or stretchability of the portions of the belt between the supporting rolls is taken advantage of to press the bat against the defiecting rolls; and periods of recovery of the bat to each side of the deliecting roll is had. More particularly, what is -meant by periods of recovery is that the bat is free to recover or assume a normal unpressed condition between the lines on which the bat is pressed.

In carrying out the method of the present invention by the use of the machine just described, a bat is placed in a given angular position upon the receiving end, (right hand end, Figs. 15 and 16) of the belt 10, which the same beneath the pressure rollers and, while thus carried, the upper ply or layer of the bat is shifted, by successive increments, relative to the lower ply which is held against movement relative to the knuckled belt by its contact therewith. Afl,ter the bat is thus passed through the machine, it is again positioned on the receiving end of the belt, but in a` different angular position, so that the upper ply will be shifted in a succession of small steps, in another direction relative to the lower ply as the bat is again carried beneath the pressure rollers. his operation is repeated a number of times, the angular position of the bat on the belt being changedeach time it is passed through the machine so that the manipulation and crozing of the bat is successively in different directions. By passing the bat through the machine successively, in different directions, the bat is not only properly crozed but its shape is corrected and maintained. The operator in changingthe angular positions of the ats upon the belt, will use such judgment that, when the felting and shrinking operationV is completed, the bat will be symmetrical in all respects, that is it will be of the desired shape, the tip being suitably curved, the side 'edges bearing the proper angular relation to one another, and t-he edges of the brim in registry. v

y improved method will be' more clearly understood by reference to the drawings. Assuming that the bat is placed on the belt, top or tip first, as shown in Fig. 1, the upper ply or layer of the batwill be successively .crozed or shifted a slight amount relative to the lower layer each time the bat is brought into engagement with a pressure roller until the bat comes out of the delivery end of the machine with the brim edge of the uper ply slightly overlapping the brim edge of the lower ply, as shown in Fig. 3.

being gular position shown The brim edge of one of the, lies is designated by the numeral 30 andJ that of the other ply by the numeral 31. The next time the .bat is fed into the machine, it may be placed on the belt in the position shown in Fig. 4. The upper ply of the bat so placed will be shifted as it passes through the machine in the direction of the arrow 32 of will be changed from 33 to en the bat may be placed in the anin Fig. 7, either with the upper or lower ply of the bat shown in Fig 4 against the belt, de ending on the judgment of the operator tarliing into consideration the shape into which the bat has already been shrunk, (in the present instance the bat is inverted, end on end). When a bat, positioned as shown in Fi issues from the machine, the line of fold 35 has been shifted backwardl over the lower ply so that there is a new e of fold 36. It has been assumed that, so far, the

bat has been passed through the machine in the condition shown in Fig. 3, that is with the brim edge of-one ply overhanging that of the other. 'In order to bring these brim edges 30 and 31 back into alignment, the bat is placed on the belt so that'it is brim first, as shown in Fig. 10 and comes out as shown in Fi l1. If, for any reason, it is desired to rl or shift'one ply relative to the other about the top of the bat, it may be positioned on the belt, as shown in Fig. 12, and will issue from the machine inthe condition shown in Fig. 14. It is, of course, obvious that the machine may be provided with a plurality of belts and the bats may be carried from one to the other successively.

/I have found that, by proceeding in accordance with the present invention, the bat, owing to the fact that it is given a wavy course as it is passed through the machine, and the bats are operated upon or kneaded by the multiplicity of elastic knuckles provided on the working face of the belt, the bats are very effectively and efiiciently felted and shrunk. Due to the wavy course given the belt and the bats thereon, the latter are progressively bent to and fro. When the forward edge of the bat is brought into engagement with a pressure roller, the movement of that portion of the bat which first engages the roller is somewhat retarded so that immedately behind this roller a wave or ripple is made in the bat, and this wave is advanced' or progressed throughout the upper ply of the bat resulting in the upper layer being shifted or crczed (to a very slight extent in measurement, but a ver effective extent in results) relative to the lower layer. In Fig. 17 I have shown the bat B as being fed tip or top first and the tip of the bat just having engaged the first ith pressure roller 15. It will be seen that this roller has produced a slight wave or ripple in the bat and in so doing, of course, it has changed the line of fold. As the bat is fed further into the machine, the -first guide roll 14 will maintain this ripple or Y wave causing a shifting or crozing of the entire upper layer relative to the lower one. When the tip of the bat comes into engagement with the second pressure roller, t-he same thing takes effect, that is a second ripple or wave is produced, and a further slight shifting of the upper layer relative to the lower one takes place and this occurs throughout the length of the machine, each pressure roller creating a ripple or wave and causing a slight shifting, and the aggregate of these slight shifting actions of the several rollers will effect the desired' extent of croze on each pass through the machine. Thus the crozing7 of the bat, each time it is passed through the machine is effected in small increments or in a succession of slight shifting movements, each pressure roller forming a wave at the advancing edge of the upper ply and progressing the wave to the opposite or rear edge'. In the present instance, the aggregate extent of shifting is indicated as a distance between the lines 30 and 31, Fig. 3. It is found to be of advantage to drive the deflecting rolls as these, to to speak, maintain the ripples or shifting. It is also found desirable to have the pressure rollers idle or, slower speed than that of the belt and the guide rolls. When the pressure rollers are idle, these rollers have a tendency, when they are engaged by the forward edge of the bat and raised thereby, to slow up, and thereby retard the movement of the upper layer of the bat and so effect the shifting action described. As previously stated, after the bat is run in one angular position through the machine, it is angularly turned to another position, as for instance to the position shown in Fig. 4, and then the pressure rollers will progressively operate upon the bat to effect a. shifting action in the direction of the arrow 32. Then the bat is again angularly changed, depending on conditions, say to the successive positions shown in Figs; 7, 10 and 12, or to any one of these positions, as may be deemed necessary.

When the bat is fed brim'irst into the machine, as shown in Figs. 10, 10 and 11, air is trapped, so to speak, in the top of the bat causing this top to be puffed, which is of advantage in that small wrinkles are taken out and the rounded shape is maintained.

"It will be seen from the foregoing description that by proceeding in accordance with the present invention the aforestated objects and other are obtained. As previously stated, the method herein described at least, driven at a.

may be carried out in other machines than that illustrated in the drawings, but I have found in actual ractice ythat the machine described is pecu iarlywell adapted and is extremely advantageous for this use.

I claim:

1. The herein described method of simultaneously shrinking, felting and crozing hat bats and the like, which consists in kneading the bat under pressure and while wet by a multiplicity of elastic knuckles and relatively shifting the plies of the bat by creating a wave in one of them andadvancing the wave.

2. The herein described method of simultaneously shrinking, felting and crozing hat bats and the like, which consists in supporting the bat on a surface having a multiplicity of elastic knuckles, rolling the bat while applyin pressure thereto, and shifting one pl o the bat relative to the other by producing a wave in one ply during the rolling operation.

3. The herein described methodv of simultaneousl shrinking, felting and crozing hat bats an the like, which consists in placing the bat in an unrolled condition upon a knuckled surface and bringing the bat into engagement with and beneath a pressureA roller adapted to rotate at a lesser peripheral speed than that at which the bat is advanced.

4. The herein described method of simultaneously shrinking, felting and crozing hat bats and the like, which consists in progressively bending' the bat to and fro in an unrolled and wet condition and relatively shifting the plies of the bat by creating a wave in one of them and advancing the wave.

5. The herein described-method of simultaneously shrinking, felting and crozing hat bats and the like, which consists in kneading the bat under pressure and while wet by a multiplicity of elastic knuckles, progres- 110 sively bending'the bat to and fro, and relatively shifting the plies of the bat by creating a wave in one of the plies and advancing the wave.

6. The herein described method of simul- 115 taneously shrinking, felting and crozing hat bats and the like which consists in placing the bat upon a member having a knuckled surface, passing said member and the bat thereon in a wavy course, applying pressure 120 on said bat by a roller, and causing the pressure roller to shift one ply of the bat relative to the other one.

7 The herein described method of simultaneously shrinking, felting and crozing hat 125 bats and the like which consists in placing the bat yin an unrolled condition upon a travelling belt having a knuckled surface, bending the belt and bat to and fro, moving the hat beneath a roll having the same 130 isa surface speed as the belt, and creating va gressively shifting one ply of the bat relawave in one of the plies and advancing the tive to the other one successively in different wave throughout the bat by moving the bat directions. into engagement with and beneath a pres- 14. The herein described method of treatsure roller adapted to rotate at a lesser ing hat bats and the like, which consists in peri heial speed than that at which the bat progressively bending the bat in unrolled d)vanced. condition to and fro, and crozing the bat by 8. The herein described method of siinulcreating and advancing waves in one of the taneousl shrinking, fe1ting and crozing hat plies o the bat successively in dilferent dibats am?, the like, which consists in knuckrections. 76 ling the wet bat in an unrolled condition at 15. The herein described method of treata multiplicity of local points and under presing hat .bats and the like, which consists in sure b distorting and laterally bending a Supporting the bat in an unrolled condition multip 'city of elastic knuckles in engageand, successively in dilferent angular osiment-with'the bat and crozing the -bat by a tions on a belt having a surface. provided 80 succession of slight waves in one of the plies With a multiplicity of knuckles, progressiveand progressing the waves. ly bending the belt to and fro and progres- 9. The herein described method of simulsive-ly applying pressure to the bat on the taneously shrinking, elting and crozing hat belt. bats and the like, which consists in support- 16. The herein described method of siing the bat in unrolled condition on a surmultaneously shrinking, felting and crozing face having a multiplicity of elastic knuckhat bats and the like, which consists in mainles, rolling the bat while applying pressure taining the bat in a wet condition, knuckling thereto, and shifting one ply of the bat relathe wet bat in an unrolled condition at nutive to the other by producing a succession meroiis points under pressure, re atedly of'waves in one ply during the rolling operbending the bat to and fro, and shi ing the ation. phes of the bat relative to one another, suc- 10. The herein described method of simulcessively, in different directions. taneousl shrinking, felting and crozing hat 17. The herein described method of sibats an the like which consists in progresmultaneousl shrinking, felting and crozing sively bending the bat to and fro, and relahat bats an 'the like which consists in lactively shifting the plies by crating a 'suclng the bat successively in different 'reccession of waves in one of them and advanctions in an unrolled condition upon a traving the waves, eling belt having a knuckled surface, bend- 11. The herein described method of simul- 111g the belt and bat to and ro, moving the 100 taneousl shrinking, felting and crozing hat bat beneath a roll having the same surface bats an the like, which consists in mainspeed as the belt, and moving the bat into entainin the bat ina wet condition, knuckgagement with and beneath a pressure rollling te wet bat in an unrolled -condition er adapted to rotate at .a lesser peripheral at numerous points under pressure by bendspeed than that at which the bat is ading and distorting, in engagement therewith, Vanced. l a multiplicity of elastic knuckles, repeatedly 18. The herein described method of treatbendino' the bat to and fro, and crozing the mg hat bats and the like which consists in plies o? the bat relative to one another in a kneading the bat and shifting the plies, one succession of slight shifts and progressing relative to the other in a succession of small the shifts, steps in one direction and then kneading the 12. The herein described method of simulbat and shifting the plies, one relative to the taneousl shrinking, felting and crozing hat Other, 1 11 a SuCCeSSlOn 0f Small Steps in anbats andy the like which consists in placing Other (111120131011. the bat in an unrolled condition upon a 19. The herein described method of sitraveling belt having a knuckled surface, multaneously shrinking, elting and crozing bending the belt and bat to and fro, moving hat bats an ,the like, which consists in rethe bat beneath rolls having the'sa-me surpeatedly bending the bat back and forth face speed as the belt, and moving the bat and shifting the plies of the bat relative to into engagement with and beneath a suc-V one another in successive increments and cession of pressure rollers interspersed besuccessively in different directions.

tween said rolls and adapted to rotate at a 20. The herein described method of silesser peripheral speed than that at which multaneously shrinking, felting and crozing the bat is advanced. hat bats and the like, which consists in, re-

13. The herein described method of treatcurrently and successively in diii'erent di'rec- 125 ing hat bats, which consists in knuckling the tions, maintaining the bat in a Wet condibat at numerous points and in flat condition tion knuckling t e wet bat in an unrolled by distorting and laterally bending, inv encondition at numerous points under resagement therewith, a multiplicity of elastic sure, repeatedly bending the bat to an fro,

eading knuckles, and continuously proand crozing the plies of the bat relative to "9 one another in a succession of slight shifts and progressing the shifts.

21. The herein described method of simultaneously shrinking, felting and erozing hat bats and the like, which consists in plac- 1 ing the bat in an unrolled condition and suc-v cessively in dilerent angular positions upon a travelling belt having a knuckled surface, bending the belt and bat to and fro, moving the bat beneath rolls having the same sur- 10 sion of pressure rollers interspersed between said rol s and adapted to rotate at a lesser peripheral speed than that at which the bat 15 is advanced.

HOMER A. GENEST. 

